The Truth Comes Out
by RagAltima
Summary: This is a story that highlights a certain scenario: What if the veil that keeps magic from the citizens of the world were to be broken? This story runs post Heaven's Feel True ending and contains spoilers from that route.
1. Prologue

**The Truth Comes Out (Post-HF True)**

Disclaimer: Fate/stay night is owned by Nasu Kinoko and TYPE-MOON. I take no credit for those works.

Note: This story is Post-HF True, about 8 years later. I just had to get this out of my system.

**Prologue**

It was a beautiful spring day in the Emiya household. The birds sang and all was right with the world. Emiya Sakura sat on the bed in her and Shirou's room, concentrating on the task in front of her. She gathered the energies of her body, and as she focused them, whispering her words of power, a dark haze formed in front of her. It coalesced into a humanoid form, and became somewhat female. Creating her familiar was going to be arduous work, so she stuck with a form she would be more comfortable with, because making a male familiar would be a bit embarrassing...

Smiling, she traced her hand upon the crown of the head of the shadow-being and whispered, "Yes, you'll have the loveliest hair...maybe I'll make it long like Rider's and mine," Sakura mused as the creature took form.

She would not leave the slightest blemish on this, her first work. The next time her Nee-san came around, she would be in for a surprise. It would soon be the eve of her 23rd birthday, among other things she would be celebrating her graduation from college, gaining her Bachelor's in Horticulture, with a minor in, or all things, Psychology. She had found it fascinating, and, even if she didn't want to pursue it as a career, she wanted to study it for curiosity's sake. She hoped to one day fund a botanical garden in Fuyuki, because she loved the very real healing nature of observing plants. Currently though, she helped in landscaping projects all around the towns her main occupation.

"Almost..." she strained to say, as she found the task more difficult by the second, stealing a glance at the sketch she had made, and the notes she had gotten about familiars from the Association.

"Ahh, that place," she thought. She and Shirou weren't very comfortable there when she accepted Rin's offer to study abroad, as one of her 'apprentices'. She only stayed a year, before returning to Japan, but she had to admit it was fun. To start off, because she didn't want to squander the remaining inheritance she got from the Matou fortune, she worked as a short-order cook at a street cafe in London. This really helped with her English, and helped her pay for tuition and living expenses. Besides, the Matou fortune was, in monthly installments, going to her friend Dilo, who had replaced 'Father' Kotomine, from the Church. It was one of the ways she had tried to make amends for the events of the Heaven's Feel.

Shirou had, though one of Rin's connections, got a housekeeper job with a Ms...Edelfelt? She had tried to get him to accept a live-in position as her manservant, but after a few words and a possible brawl, he took a job as a part-time housekeeper. With that, they didn't have too much trouble maintaining the rent for their flat.

At the Clock Tower, she taken to one lecturer, a Mr. Lucian, who happened to be the authority on familiars and their usage. When Rin went to show Rider off to him and the other members of the Spiritual Dispelling department, their jaws almost hit the floor. Whether this was for her breathtaking beauty or the marvel and wonder that surrounded a Servant, one could only guess. Rider eagerly took to the Association's archives, burying herself for days at a time sometimes.

"Heh." She grinned at the funny memory, almost breaking her concentration. Mr. Lucian, he had given her the wonderful gift of being able to create her own familiar, so for all the failings of the Association, time with him was time well spent. But there was another reason she wanted to make a familiar. Due to the way her 'grandfather' had experimented on her as a child, she would forever be unable to conceive children. It was something that proved to be a rocky part of her and Shirou's relationship. She had felt that, as the love of her life, and savior, to not be able to give him the joy of fatherhood was something that couldn't be forgiven.

She sighed. It had taken awhile for her to forgive herself for this, but as always Shirou was understanding through it all. He stubbornly, in his own way, supported her. Though, even if she knew that he would never blame her for it, he couldn't hide the disappointment from his eyes when they heard the news. It had been the rather powerful sour note that had plagued their first year of marriage. For a long time, they even refrained from making love. But as with all things, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and through counseling, they resolved it. Or she thought she had. She couldn't refute the irony that a small part of her was performing this ritual to replace that hole in her heart.

Sen-Shirou - yes, she still had trouble not slipping into calling her husband 'Senpai' - had become a rather chiseled diamond in the rough she thought, blushing. He took his training as seriously as he ever had, and there wasn't a night he wasn't in the shed these days. The first couple of years, his new body had given him no end of trouble during training, as he struggled to activate his magic circuit. But, as time went on, he figured out how to work with the irregular flow of magical energy, allowing him to better practice his reinforcement and projection. But despite what he gained during the 5th Heaven's Feel, he said:

"Trying to grasp that magic is like trying to remember every detail in a dream after awakening. It's there, but it's not. It'd be better to just start from scratch."

So he did. He has practiced it continuously, and for some reasons, these oddly beautiful twin swords he'd said he saw Archer use are the ones he has most success with. But it was not without hard training. He brought as much effort into enhancing his projection as he did with his studies at Kobe University. This is where she and Shirou both attended after they came back from London. It had been rather odd when he mentioned wanting to study law. Once he got into it, he really saw there were many ways to help the community in this manner. He was currently interning during his college career at a local firm. He looked pretty darn good in a suit!

"I hope he doesn't go at it too hard," she thought, "I think I saw a few strands of white hair..."

She then refocused on her task again, as she was reaching the final steps.

"Alright, now I need to bind the wraith's soul to this container," she read off the pages of the notes. Taking the soul that was inside her and biding it to the shadow-being was the next step. It had been odd, she had found after the war when she concentrated, that there were a few such souls inside her. So she decided to put them to good use instead of letting them wander or dissipate inside her as energy.

"Finally, impart part of your essence to finalize the process," she read aloud and in the next line it said, "do note however, the familiar you create, as it is a part of you, will adopt a part of your personality and characteristics...but it will be completely random which part. But that is is all part of the fun, right?"

The note ended there with a smiley face. She blinked a few seconds at that.

"What a joker Mr Lucian is." She laughed to herself. But then, she grew serious. She cut her finger and placed a drop of her blood on the forehead of the creature. Then, there was a bright flash of light as the shadow weaved into a more solid shape. She felt the burning inside that signified they were linked together, and the process was complete. It was a success. She looked with pride at her work. And the girl in question blinked at her.

The young girl, looking to be in her teens, had hair down to her calves, free flowing,

about as long as Sakura's. It was bluish black, framing her round face. She was shorter than Sakura, was, about 5'3, looked pretty normal, and had a modest frame. Her nose was small and she had thick lips, one might say they looked like an octopus with their shape. Her frame was not too skinny, but not really curvy. The girl looked like any normal girl, except she seemed to have one blue eye, and one brown eye, without pupils. It'd be the only sign that something was up with her. Her familiar was complete, and the results were better than she had hoped.

But this girl wouldn't be a tool, not like she had been. As far as Sakura was concerned, from this day forward, they would be family. And so, she greeted her:

"Good Morning, and Happy Birthday."

She said this and looked upon the girl with a smile. And to her surprise, the girl smiled back. Sakura was ecstatic. This was her own familiar, no, her own child! She took the girl in her arms and hugged her for all she was worth, to which the girl struggled a bit under the embrace.

"...!" The girl gasped for air a bit, and in reaction to that, Sakura pulled herself away.

"Sorry, I was just so excited..." she blushed. Regaining her composure, she said, "I think it was time you were given a name."

She didn't even need to think about it, there was a name that stuck with her and it was the only choice she really seem to like. "Alice, yes, that will be your name."

Alice...

Sakura suddenly heard a voice say the name in her mind, which startled her.

Ah, yes, Mr. Lucian talked about this, how familiars communicate through telepathy.

Suddenly, Shirou burst through the door, and yelled, "Sakura! Come to living room, you've got to see this news report!"

With that, he hurriedly ran back into the living room, leaving the two stunned.

"Alright. Guess we can leave introductions for later if it's that serious," she said getting up, and taking 'Alice' with her. They raced to the living room, and Rider was already sitting on the couch, a book she was reading on the table next to it. Her brow furrowed as she watched the television. Sakura asked her, "What's going on?"

Rider pointed to the television, "See for yourself. I think we're in trouble."

Looking toward the television, Sakura saw the image of a man reading off names:

…...Sanada.

Takada Hiromitsu.

Father Dilo Graham.

Emiya Shirou.

Emiya Sakura.

Tohsaka Rin.

Medusa Anania*

These are some of the names obtained from an anonymous source, along with video footage claiming the existence of magi and users of magic in our city! In fact, there is even a claim that the mass disappearance of citizens back in 2003 was the scheme of one of these individuals! This breaking news ladies and gentlemen! Sources also indicate these names and tapes have been filtered to the police as well...

With that, the image of the man disappeared, and the message "We are experiencing technical difficulties, please stand by" appeared on the screen.

"Well, at least someone is trying to cover this mess up." Rider said, while brushing a lock of hair from her face.

"How did this get by the Church and the Association?" Shirou roared, startling Alice, who hid behind Sakura.

"Let's not panic, I think we should call Nee-san up and see what she thinks of this..." Sakura calmly said, although her stomach was turning in knots. She patted Alice on the head to calm her.

"I'm on it." Shirou quipped, as he raced to the phone, and starting dialing.

Before he could finish however, there was a banging on the door.

"Open up! This is the police!"

Prologue End

To be continued...

* * - This is the fake name that Rider is using now.


	2. Chapter 1   The Price of Freedom

**THE TRUTH COMES OUT - Chapter 1: The Price We Pay for Freedom**

"Open up! This is the police!"

All the denizens of the Emiya residence froze at the yell and banging on the door. Shirou picked up the receiver of the phone and calmly stated, "Tohsaka, I'm going to have to call you back, it seems we have a bit of company."

"Wait! Shirou, is this about that broadcast on television? I've made some calls; the Clock Tower is in an uproar over this."

"Yeah, well, the police have shown up at our door." As he said this, the banging grew ever louder. "So I'm going to have to cut this short, before they make a mess of our front door."

"Alright, be careful, don't worry, I'll look into this on my end and see what I can find."

"Thanks, don't worry, we won't make a fuss. Better to see who is pulling the strings on this one." And with a curt 'Talk to you later', he put the receiver down and hung up the phone.

Shirou turned to Sakura and said, "Let them in before they decide to bust the door down, we'll give ourselves up here if they are here to detain us."

Sakura nodded, and then quickly opened the front door. Calmly, she spoke to the agitated officers on the other side, "Please, come in."

A rather tall, lanky man about 6'5 in height, in uniform among two stocky gentlemen in the same appeared in the entranceway. Shirou and Rider came along, seeing what the fuss is about. "Can we help you-" Shirou stopped and looked at the taller man of the three.

"I'm Lt. Yagami Hiroto of the Fuyuki City Police. Ah, Emiya-san. It's so nice to see you again." The man smirked as he looked Shirou up and down.

"Do you know this man, dear?" Sakura asked. Shirou looked back at her and said,

Yeah, this guy here and I had a little bit of a 'disagreement' on a case I worked on with one of my mentors. Long story short, he tried to frame a good man for possession of narcotics, and I helped shut him down. He's probably still mad about that." Shirou gave the man a smirk.

"Perhaps I should add slander onto your charges." The man said returning the smirk with one of his own. "Anyway, back to business. I have a warrant for the arrest of you, your wife, and-" He looked over the list in his hand to a picture of Rider "-that woman over there." He pointed in her direction.

"And what would be the charges?" Sakura piped up.

"For suspicion of your involvement in those mysterious disappearances a few years back. Now, if you could come down to the station, we have a few questions for you." The glee on his face was obvious and more than a bit unsettling.

Rider narrowed her eyes at the man and thought, _there are only three of them, and they don't look to have brought any backup, it would be all too easy to put them down here, but- _She looked at both Shirou and Sakura, who shook there heads.

_-not really worth the trouble it would bring. _But she was a bit disappointed not to be able to teach these people a lesson for barging into their home.

"We'll go quietly. I'd like some more information on this anyway." Shirou said with a shrug.

"I as well." Rider said, not really taking her eyes off the taller man.

"Excellent. It's good to see such model behavior, even if it is from a pack of criminals." He turned around to his subordinates. Cuff them and put them into the cars-" He stopped as he felt a tug on his back. "Hmm? What is it" He looked down to see Alice looking up at him. He could swear her left eye flashed for a second before things went fuzzy.

Sakura felt the pull of prana coming from Alice and sent her a mental command; _Don't do anything nasty to him. We cannot afford for this to go any further than it has._

_But Master- _Alice sent her thoughts back through the telepathy.

_It's alright. We'll find a way to get through this. Let him go, we'll go with them peacefully. _Sakura spoke firmly.

_Yes, master. _And the binding on the man was undone.

Then suddenly, her right eye flashed, and Sakura saw the man had the goofiest express on his face she had ever seen.

Alice spoke, "I just came to visit my Auntie here this week, so if you're taking them away, please let me come." She looked up at him with doe eyes.

"Ah..." Was all the man could say for a brief second, because in front of him was the most beautiful girl in the world. His breath caught in his throat, his stomach in knots, and his legs felt like jelly.

_What was this feeling? All he knew was that he wanted to give this girl the world, and didn't know why._

"...Of course. You may come along with us." He said sheepishly, with that same goofy look on his face. Sakura giggled, Shirou looked like he wanted to vomit, and Rider smiled at the child's handiwork. They were then loaded into the cars and taken away.

"What a naughty child." Sakura smiled as she thought to herself. But then she remembered that these types of familiars base their core personality on a part of the owner's. She was bemused as she thought a part of her may be like that.

**Fuyuki City Jail - 1:30 PM**

They were ushered into the station and Alice was left at the lobby as the officers led Shirou, Sakura, and Rider to lockup. Hiroto barked out orders to be easy on them as he went to find Alice a drink. Sakura smiled back at Alice with a mental, "It'll be ok" before they disappeared down the hallway.

As the three were escorted into their cells, Sakura could see in the cell next to them a familiar face. It was an older gentleman dressed in priest robes, with a cross around his neck, looking quite forlorn to be in this dank cell. They were pushed in and the doors locked.

"We'll come get you when it's time for questioning." And with that the officer's left.

"Well hello Ms. Supervisor, care to tell me what's going on here?" The older gentleman spoke from his cell.

"Father Graham? Are you alright?" Sakura worriedly said through the bars.

"So far. All they really hurt was my dignity. Honestly, such manners to the elderly." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Good that you're alright. And no, I have no idea what is going on here, but we came quietly to find out." She looked around and saw that only she, Shirou, Rider, and Father Graham were in this section of the jail. "What about all the others? Surely they must have gotten more of the magi in this area..."

"Unlike us, some people probably didn't have much to lose by attempting escape." Shirou said, sighing as he passed the time talking to Father Graham. Rider laid down on one of the benches and stared at the ceiling, bored, and a little ticked they wouldn't allow her something to read.

Just as they finished their reunion, the door at the end of the hallway opened. In walked a man, wearing a suit and glasses, who looked to be in his 40s. He was carrying a light briefcase. He walked to their cells with another very short man in a hoodie and sneakers. The shorter man caught the group's attention, as he had one gloved hand with a rosary that seemed to radiate an aura.

"Is this all? That list was pretty extensive." He snarled looking in the direction of the group.

"The officers of this station reported that the rest of the magi listed weren't found at their homes, or at their jobs, so it is assumed they are out of town or have deserted their residences."

"Find them. If they fled so quickly they must have something to hide."

"Understood. It will be done right away." He bowed to the man.

"Good, as for you-" He turned to the group and narrowed his eyes for a second, regarding each of them, before seemingly brightening up.

"-I would say introductions are in order. My name is Harada Genji, and this man, an associate of mine from the Holy Church, is Alex Turrent, an Executor." Alex bowed to the group curtly. "Now I'm sure you're wonder why you're here-"

Shirou cut him off. "Yeah, we are, and we're also wondering what you're thinking spreading the news about magic on the news like that-" And then he was cut short by what seemed to be the claws of a beast in his face. He jumped back, and the rest of the group was on

On the other side of the giant, beastly arm, Alex snarled in Shirou's direction.

"My, what a rude young man you are. That's something I don't like about heretics, such bad manners."

"Ahem. As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, I'm sure you're wondering about your situation. Yes, it was I who spread that footage to the media, but that was just a bit of a prank you see. It'll easily be covered up by the Association. The broadcast was censored. It is more of a parting shot from me to them."

"But, why would you do that? If you are familiar with what happens with people who divulge such knowledge, why take the risk?" Sakura asked, disturbed at how he treated parting blows with the Association as a game.

The man looked solemn for a second and looked down. "You remember the incident eight years ago? The mysterious incident with all those bizarre happenings, which included the disappearances of over 140 people?"

Sakura's eyes widened, but she kept her composure. "...Yes."

"Well, those were no disappearances, I saw what it was. I had taken a midnight stroll, walking our dog, when suddenly, I felt ill, and drained of vitality for a second. I had a bad feeling, so I hurried home. When I got there I saw it. This blob like monster that was red and black, and seemed not unlike a deep sea creature. The more I looked at it, the sicker I became, and I was frozen on the spot. Suddenly, it melted into the ground and was gone."

"..." The group fell silent listening to the tale. Genji continued, "I rushed into the house, and couldn't find any trace of my wife, or daughter. But when I looked into the backyard, I found something that confirmed something, I found a hand. A hand that held the same brand of cigarette my wife smoked." He choked out the last sentence as he gritted his teeth.

"..." Sakura watched him as she spoke; she had interacted with the victims of the Shadow many times over the years. But no matter how many times it was, it was just like the first time. I was always hard, and always painful. The feeling of not being able to even apologize, the feeling of knowing that apologies or the work she did would never be enough, which was why she did what she could.

Shirou tried to hold her, as he knew this would open those old wounds back up, but she raised a hand to him and continued to listen to the man. Truth be told, she was almost thankful that the truth behind magic could come out, because then, maybe, she could give that apology she so desired to give, without endangering the lives of the victims. But even that she knew was folly.

"I didn't know what to do with myself for awhile, so I flew overseas to a relative of mine, but heard on the news about the disappearances. I looked online for anything of note, I was obsessed with it. Then I came across this site and saw a video detailing the same monster with an interesting word in the description, magic. That was when I used my family's resources and researched, but I always came up to a dead end, no matter what amount I offered. That was when I met Mr. Turrent one day when I attended mass, the one place I could find peace."

Alex picked up the story, "We hadn't spoken many times, but one day, he came to me and confessed everything. It was heartbreaking, and when he uttered the name "Fuyuki" I immediately remembered the news I had heard going around that there was a mass slaughter when a ritual had gone haywire in Japan. A ritual called the Heaven's Feel. The Magus Association had covered it up of course, heretics they are, and the matter had closed. His experiences hit close to home for me, and I found myself angered, but not surprised, that the Church didn't do their own investigation. Year pass, and here the both of us are, slowly gaining power and influence such to topple the Association."

Rider eyes widened, "To do what? That's crazy."

"We'll see how crazy it is in due time, my dear. Now I'll get to the meat of our discussion." Genji opened the briefcase he carried with him and handed each one in the group a letter. "To make a long story short, you'll be working for me, as my group of mage hunters."

"...!" The group gasped at this incredulous of statements.

"It shouldn't be so shocking. If I am to topple the Association, then I certainly need power to do it, don't I? That is where you come in. Of course it wouldn't be indiscriminate murder, but I'll have no mercy for those who aren't willing to disengage their blasphemous research, and I'll call for stricter guidelines than the lax way the Association does things. If that calls for magic to become known, I don't care of every trace of it were to leave this planet!" His shoulders heaved as he belted out the last sentence to the group, eye wild a fury they didn't expect of the man.

He took a deep breath and regarded the stunned group again. "From what I've seen, there is not much need for it anyways. The barbarism and callousness in the name of so-called research, even to their kin is astonishing. This would be no more than civil service. Even that horrid shadowy blob monster that took everything from me, if I could get its power, I'd gladly take it."

Shirou exasperatedly sighed, "...And what if we don't want to join this 'holy' crusade of yours?" He asked, but had a good idea of the answer already.

"On that note, you'll be very well compensated for your time, however..." His expression darkened, and the madness he showed earlier reappeared on his face. "You don't really have a say in the matter. I have a wealth of info on all of you, and if need be, I can ruin you permanently in society, so don't take my offer here as a sign of weakness. I already told you, there would be no mercy for those who opposed."

Genji chuckled a bit and looked at his watch. "Anyway, I'll release you now, and you can go straight home. You are to meet me on the date and place assigned in your letters; I'll expect you on time. So run along, the guards said you had a child with you..." He put his hand to his chin in thought. "...though I don't remember any children in your bio..." He tilted his head in wonder.

"That is likely a construct or some type of familiar, sir." Alex spoke up. "I did feel something unnatural about the child."

"Ah, yes, yes. That makes more sense, your file said that you were barren, and we know it couldn't have been the child of your friend there, as she too is one." He shook his head and derisively sighed, "My, my, my. How unwholesome, trying to replace the children you could never have with these fakes of unlife! Complete blasphemy is what it is."

"How dare you!" Sakura rushed the bars of the cell and flashed her eyes at the man as the bars she held crackled with energy. But then she felt a stinging pain in her shoulder as one of Alex's claws dug into it.

"Ah, ah, ah. Temper, temper. I was just being honest." And with that, he and Alex turned to leave. "I've sent a similar letter to your dear sister in London. Give her my regards. Remember, be prompt!" Genji and Alex left the lockup, and the guards came to let the group out of their cells.

And then Rider uttered the words that eloquently described the situation.

"Well, shit."

Chapter 1: END


End file.
